Characteristics and description of the tomato variety Pink Elephant and its yield
The pink elephant tomato is an original tomato variety that has earned only positive reviews from gardeners during its existence. It is quite tasty, large and beautiful. Growing it is as easy as growing all other tomato varieties.
Appointment
The pink elephant tomato variety was bred by Russian breeders twenty years ago. It was created for growing in glass or polycarbonate greenhouses. However, over time, vegetable growers living in the southern regions of the country began to grow such tomatoes in the open field.
Tomatoes belong to the salad type, so most often they eat woo fresh. They can also survive juice to make homemade ketchup or sauce.
general description
To grow this variety, you need to familiarize yourself with the description of the pink elephant tomato.
Tomatoes are not often used in industry, as they are very demanding to water and are large in size. Most often they are planted by vegetable growers who are engaged in the cultivation of exotic tomatoes.
These tomatoes are mid-season varieties, so the first harvest will be possible 115 days after the seedlings germinate.
The bush of the plant is medium-sized and medium-leaved. If grown in suitable conditions, it can grow up to 130cm in height. The leaves on the bushes are colored deep green and have a potato-type shape.
The yield of the raspberry elephant tomatoes is quite high. Up to 7 kg of fruit can be harvested from one square meter. If you grow bushes in stationary greenhouses or film greenhouses, then the amount of the crop can increase up to 10 kg.
Description of fruits
The characteristics of the fruits of this variety will help distinguish them from other types of tomatoes.
On average, each bush of a plant has about 5-7 tomatoes. The fruits are quite heavy and the weight of each of them is 300-400 g. Some tomatoes from the first cluster can weigh more than a kilogram.
The fruits are pinkish and oval in shape. At the top, the surface of the tomato is smooth, and near the stalk it is slightly ribbed. Tomatoes are covered with a dense glossy skin, under which there is a fleshy pulp. It has a slightly sweetish and rich taste, which is devoid of the characteristic sourness.
Features of growing seedlings
Sowing seeds to get seedlings is necessary at the end of February or in the beginning of March. However, before that, you should start preparing the soil and sowing containers.
Preparatory work
When choosing the most suitable containers for planting seeds, you should pay attention to containers with special lids that will ensure the greenhouse effect. Before planting, containers should be filled with pre-prepared soil. You can buy it at the store or make your own. In the second case, you will have to deal with the disinfection of the soil.
To disinfect the soil, it is necessary to water it with a solution of potassium permanganate. You can also disinfect the ground with boiling water.
The seeds also need to be processed before planting. To do this, they are dipped for half an hour in a container with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Seeds that sink to the bottom of the vessel are suitable for planting.
Sowing seeds
Before sowing tomatoes, several holes are made in containers with a depth of no more than 3 cm. After that, 2-3 seeds must be added to each of them, covered with earth and watered. During watering, it is better to use a sprayer so as not to violate the integrity of the soil coma.
Growing seedlings is best done in a warm and well-lit place. Therefore, containers with seedlings can be placed on a sunny windowsill. If during the cultivation of seedlings the most optimal conditions are created, then the first seedlings will appear literally in a week.
Picking
It is necessary to transplant seedlings only after the appearance of several true leaves on the bushes. This must be done very carefully so as not to damage the plant's root system. You need to plant seedlings in peat-humus cups. After picking, the seedlings must be periodically taken out into the street so that they gradually get used to the new conditions.
Landing in open ground
It is necessary to plant seedlings in open ground in the first weeks of summer.
Site selection
The optimal place for growing raspberry elephant tomato seedlings are sunny, lit places, protected from the wind. The soil on the site should have a neutral acidity index of 7 pH. To check it, you need to purchase a special test. If during the inspection it was found that the indicator is too low, then a little lime will have to be added to the soil. At an elevated level, the soil should be mixed with sulfur.
Soil preparation
You need to start preparing the soil in the fall, immediately after harvesting the remains of previous plants. First, the site is dug to a depth of 25 cm, and then it is fed with fertilizers. It is recommended to use compost for this, as it attracts earthworms, which loosen the soil perfectly. During the autumn feeding, about 5-8 kg of compost is applied per square kilometer of the plot.
Planting
It is necessary to plant pink elephant tomatoes in open ground on a cloudy day or in the evening. In this case, it is recommended to use a square-socket fit. This method is popular among many vegetable growers, as it facilitates the care of tomato bushes, increases light and improves the absorption of nutrients.
During planting, one tomato bush sits in each hole. The distance between rows and holes should be 70 cm.
To protect young seedlings from frost, they must be covered with plastic wrap.
Care
Any plant must be properly looked after and the raspberry elephant tomato is no exception.
Watering
It is recommended to use settled water at room temperature for irrigation. It is necessary to water the bushes once a week. After the first fruits appear, this should be done more often - every 2-3 days. Water must be poured under the root so that it does not fall on the tomato leaves.
Hilling tomato
Some growers believe that hilling is optional, but it is not. It stimulates root growth and contributes to oxygenation of the soil. You need to spud the bushes several times per season.
Mulching
In order for the fruits to ripen faster, it is necessary to mulch the soil. For this it is recommended to use green manure. They are laid out between rows in a layer of 1-2 cm. When using green manure, you can completely abandon chemical fertilizers.
Conclusion
Even a beginner who has never tried to plant vegetables can start growing a tomato raspberry elephant. To do this, it is enough to study in detail the description of the variety and communicate with those who previously planted it.
